Adults often fret over how big of a presence digital technology has in children’s lives. But as Alexis Lauricella, PhD, has studied, technology doesn’t have to cause worry. Instead, it can be a tool in children’s education and overall development.
“Children spend so many hours with technology at home, in school, in libraries — everywhere,” she says. “I want to understand how media and technology influence child development and how technology can be used best to support learning.”
Dr. Lauricella joined the faculty of Erikson Institute in 2018 and also serves as the director of Erikson’s Technology in Early Childhood (TEC) Center, where she studies the intersecting fields of digital media and early childhood. Her research has been frequently published in academic journals and books, and she is a regular presenter at conferences in the United States and abroad.
Among her research findings has been an understanding of how children learn through using technology and the role adults play in supporting that learning.
“When you watch children using technology, it looks like they get it so easily,” she says. “But we have to remember that children are little experimenters, and they are willing to try different things with technology that adults have more reservations about. That doesn’t necessary mean that they are processing and understanding what they are doing or that they even can replicate it. So, we have to be careful not to associate comfort with technology with ability to learn from it.”
At the heart of Dr. Lauricella’s work is a passion for children and education that stems from growing up with a mother who was a teacher. Growing up, she thought she might want to be an elementary school teacher but realized in college that she could support children’s learning in other ways, such as through research and helping develop quality educational media. She interned at Sesame Workshop, which solidified her passion for studying child development and media and led her to pursue a PhD in developmental psychology with a focus on studying educational media.
“Parenting is hard,” she says. “There is an expectation that we all inherently know how to be parents, but we all could use some help and guidance.”
Education
- Post-doctoral fellowship in Communications Studies, Northwestern University
- PhD in Developmental Psychology, Georgetown University
- MPP, Georgetown University
- BA in Business Marketing and Psychology, University of Massachusetts
Areas of Expertise
- Children’s STEM learning from technology
- Infant and toddler learning from educational media
- Use of technology to support parent engagement
- Teacher technology practices in classrooms
- Technology Professional Development for Educators
Professional Highlights
- Susan Crown Exchange ($110,000, 2 year). Youth Voice in the Digital Age: Peer-to-Peer Technology Mentoring Program Researched, Developed, and Implemented by Youth awarded to (PI) Alexis Lauricella May 2020.
- Managed and directed project (2017-2018) funded by a grant entitled, “Studying the Impact of Tough Topic Entertainment Media”. Funded by Netflix ($98,513). Co-P.I. Ellen Wartella, Northwestern University.
- Managed and directed project (2016) funded by a grant entitled, “Text Message Interventions to Support Low-Income Families Development”. Funded by the Clinton Foundation Too Small to Fail ($40,000). Co-P.I. Ellen Wartella, Northwestern University.
- Managed and directed project (2016) funded by a grant entitled, “Common Sense Media: Understanding Parenting Practices Related to Child and Adolescent Media Uset”. Funded by from the Common Sense Media ($50,000). Co-P.I. Ellen Wartella, Northwestern University.
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Recent Publications
- Pila, S. Piper, A.M., Lauricella, A. R. & Wartella, E. (2020). Preschoolers’ STEM Learning on a Haptic Enabled Tablet. Emerging Technologies and New Media for Children.
- Aladé, F., Lauricella, A. R., & Wartella, E. (2020). Who’s modeling STEM for kids? A character analysis of children’s STEM-focused television in the U.S. Journal of Children and Media,
- Lauricella, A. R., Herdzina, J. &, Robb, M. (2020). Factors influencing the teaching of digital citizenship competencies in elementary classrooms. Computers and Education.
- Carter, M. C., Cingel, D. P.,Lauricella, A. R., & Wartella, E. (2020). 13 Reasons Why, perceived norms, and reports of mental health-related behavior change among adolescent and young adult viewers in four global regions. Communication Research.
- Lauricella, A. R. & Cingel, D. P. (2020). Parental influence on youth media use. Journal of Child and Family Studies doi:10.1007/s10826-020-01724-2
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Recent Presentations
- 2019 – *Pila, S., Blackwell, C., Lauricella, A. R., & Wartella, E. (2019, Nov). Technology in the Lives of Educators and Early Childhood Programs: 2018 Survey Results. Poster submitted to the 2019 National Association for the Education of Young Children annual conference, Nashville, TN.
- Lauricella, A. R., (2019, May) Parasocial relationships with different media characters relate to self-reported behavior change: Exploring viewer comprehension of 13 Reasons Why. Paper to be presented at the International Communication Association, Washington, DC.
- 2019 – Alade, F., +Kumamar, Y., Lauricella, A.R., & Wartella, E. (2019, May). The impact of exposure to a Counter-Stereotypical STEM Show on Children’s Attitudes Toward STEM. Paper to be presented at the International Communication Association, Washington, DC.
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Related professional experience
- Associate Director, Center on Media and Human Development Northwestern University
- Founder, PlayLearnParent.com
- Member, WTTW Kids Advisory Board
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